Size-discharge treatment of fabrics



P 1940. 5. w. LANE SIZE-DISCHARGE TREATMENT OF FABRICS Filed Oct. 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

A 1949- a. w. LANE SIZE-DISCHARGE TREATMENT OF FABRICS Filed Oct. 5, 1938 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Gearqe Minna ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES SIZE-DISCHARGE TREATMENT OF FABRICS George W. Lane, Clifton, N. J., assignor to Van Vlaanderen Machine Company, Paterson, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application October 5, 1938, Serial No. 233,416

4 Claims.

5 size) and after the weaving are made to undergo a boil-off orequivalent treatment which discharges the size and leaves the fabric creped.

When the fabric contains twisted threads composed in part of rayon and in part of cellulose acetate, the discharge has heretofore been effected only by a manual treatment. That 'is, the fabrics previously wound in fiat form are hung on sticks in a water bath which initially is cold and without any ingredient, as soap, to augment the discharge, and after the fabrics have been left in the bath for some time the latter is gradually heated and the soap added, the fabrics being shifted on the sticks from time to time to insure uniform action by the bath. What is aimed at is to avoid irregular creping which later will. occur if the fabric is subjected too abruptly to the discharge action: wherefore the soaking first at low temperature and the ultimate gradual raising of the temperature, with the addition of the soap. By carefully conducting the treatment in this way the creping in fabrics containing twisted threads composed in part of rayon and in part of cellulose acetate can be effected without irregularity in such crepe; but obviously the procedure is necessarily slow and tedious and the labor cost is considerable.

What I aim is to accomplish, in a more simple, expeditious and cheaper way and without irregular creping, the size-discharge from fabrics which (because they contain twisted rayon-cellulose acetate threads or in fact for any other reason) are prone to crepe irregularly unless the discharge is effected subject to suchcontrol as will prevent such irregular creping, and to effect such discharge also without the streaking or other distortion in appearance of the fabric which is likely to occur from creases allowed to form therein while undergoing the treatment or from limited contact with parts of the apparatus employed.

Assume ezdstence of a size-discharge bath into which the fabric is to be entered progressively and from which it is ultimately to be withdrawn, and that but only partially submerged in such bath is a rotary drum or equivalent fabric-advancing element arranged with its axis substantially horizontal. I repeatedly rotate. the drum in one direction through complete revolutions about seiitiiaxis and meanwhile progressively de liver the fabric against the exposed portion of the perimeter of the drum and while such portion still remains wetted by the liquid of the bath, whereby, due to adhesion which ensues between the wetted perimeter of said element and the size-laden fabric, the fabric is conveyed by said lement into and through the bath.

In this operation, due to the adhesion between the fabric and the perimeter of the drum, the creping effort is subject to control by the adhesion and, since such is uniform throughout the entire area of the portion of the fabric at any time'in contact with said perimeter, the resulting creping is uniform or without that irregularity which would invariably occur if the fabric were simply dipped in the bath with no expedient for maintaining it in extended state.

Usually, though the maximum and hence troublesome creping effort will have already expended itself, it is necessary to continue-thefabric in the bath for the purpose of completing the discharge. For this purpose the fabric should be parted from the drum-that is to say, the adhesive union between the fabric and the perimeter of the drum should be disrupted. My invention also contemplates this disrupting or parting step, and in the fireferred form of the invention it is effected noti'bnly so as to avoid any harm to the fabric but under the surface of the bath, since exposure of the fabric to the atmosphere before the discharge .is completed is calculated to create disparities in appearance as between portions of the fabric which may thus become exposed and the remaining portions thereof. In practice, on the fabric being parted from the drum it is delivered onto a travelling conveyor which then conveys it through the bath until the discharge has been completed.

In my procedure it is not to be overlooked that there is a stepping-up, as it were, of the influences which engender the creping. That is to say, the fabric comesto the drum in a relatively cold state, is then somewhat wetted and also heated by the more or less heated moisture on the perimeter of the drum, and finally it attains complete soaking by submersion in the fully heated and otherwise completely active bath itself. There may be'shrinkage, in fact consider able, both lengthwise and transversely of the fabric, but this is of course removable later by resort to known procedures. 'Whatis-important is that the fabric may be made toundergo the discharge treatment progressively and with expedition [and that it issues from the treatment with its creping entirely regular in character.

The drawings illustrate. the invention more or less diagrammatically,

Figs. 1 and 2 being side elevations of the intake and output ends, respectively, of the apparatus employed when the fabric treated manifests relatively little disposition to crepe irregularly;

Figs. 3 and 4 being similar views of the intake and output ends, respectively, of the apparatus employed when the fabric treated manifests greater disposition to crepe irregularly;

- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the drum 2 and the cascade device and Fig. 6 is a plan of what is shown in Fig. 5.

The fabric 1': comes to the apparatus wound in a roll indicated at position a and consists of a number of pieces stitchedtogether end for end, being usually many yards in length. In winding this roll it is usual to lap outward its inner or starting end so that when the roll is nearing depletion it may be transferred to the position indicated at a and when the end of the lap is uncovered attach such end to the end of the length afforded by a fresh roll placed at position a, all with the purpose of avoiding undue delays in the treatment of the suocessite fabrics. The roll at either of the positions a and a. may therefore be taken as the supply.

Said supply may if desired dip into a bath of plain water at atmospheric temperature and contained in a tank b.

' Referring, first, to Figs. 1 and 2:

Let i be a vat containing the discharge liquid bath, whose surface or level is indicated at :c. A drum" 2 with its axis horizontal and journaied in any suitable support (not shown) exists only partially submerged in the bath. The drum is to receive against its perimeter and advance the 'fabric, being eonstantly rotated through com- ---plete revolutions and usually at a constant speed in respectto the fabric at any time being treated; its direction of rotation is as per the arrow. The fabric extends from .the supply in flat state around a spreader bar 2, then between a small drum 4 and a nip-roll ,I, and then around a roll i so positioned that the fabric in being advanced by the drum -2 travels in contact therewith for an appreciable circumferetial extent before it enters the liquid at what may be termed the approach side of the drum. At the opposite or discharge side of the drum is what I term a "cascade" device, being a trough! which inclines downwardly toward said side, its lower end being sufficiently close to the drum's periphery so that liquid debouching from the trough will part the fabric at f Rotation of the drum. 2 involves advance ofthe fabric, and in its rotation its perimeter carries from the bath some of the liquid and the thus wetted exposed portion of its perimeter serves,

when the fabric, is progressively fed thereto by roll 6, to obtain a certain grip-by adhesion on the sized fabric which maintains it constantly in a state of conformity by adhesion to the surface of the drun s perimeter. In this example, the fabric is assumed to have such relatively weak creping effort that by the time it has about passed through the liquid under the drum, irregularity of creping incident to further exposure to the bath will not ensue. Meanwhile the e de is active, and as rm fabric comes wi hm the influence of the liquid current it directs downwardly against or close to the drum's perimeter,

The parts a and a? and I toil-are all the same as before. In addition to drum 2 there are the drums i8 and I9 both suitably supported with their axes parallel with that of drum 2, and drum it partly submerged in the bath the same as drum 2 but drum l9 elevated above the bath. These three drums are rotated as per the arrows and in unison through suitable transmissions diagrammatically indicated at 20. In addition to the cascade device I for drum 2 there ls -a cascade device 2!. for drum I8, 22 being its supply tank; there are also cascade devices 22 discharging in opposite directions onto .drum It, being supplied by a tank 24. Pipe It has extensions Ila and lilb leading to tanks 22 and 2|.

In this case the period in which the fabric is held extended both transversely and lengthwise is obviously increased by the presence of the three drums and the adhesion of the sized fabric to their perimeters. By the cascade devices 22 the fabric is kept wetted while travelling over the drum H, the moisture incidentally insuring the desired adhesion between the fabric and drum.

Since allowance for lengthwise shrinkage of the fabric should be provided for, the portions of the transmissions 2. which connect drums 2 and I8 with drum ll may each be of the belt and conepulley ype.

- How the, conveyer ii is driven is immaterial. InFigs. 1 and2 itisassumedtobedrivensufliciently slowly so that the fabric accumulates thereon in more or less pleated or undulated state as shown at a. In Figs.3 and 4 itis shown driven at a rate'about the same as that at which the fabric is delivered to it, as by a motor 25 driving a variable-speed drive 26, in turn driving a reduction-box 21, from which one of rotary supports l1 for the conveyer may be driven through a suitable transmission 20.

At 29 is a roller-under which the fabric passes on its way toa delivery drum II. By training the fabric only around the drum 2, the treatment with thisapparatus may be conducted the same as with the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

' In the appended claims I use the term size" or sized with the intent that they shall be con.- strued to include any adhesive suitable for maintaining the threads 01' the fabric in twisted state.

My invention, insofar as the prevention of irregular creping is concerned, is a matter of opposing shrinkage of the fabric for a'time after it enters the discharge'bath. According to the the entry of the fabricinto the bath, shrinkage of the fabric is opposed uniformly throughout the whole area thereof which is at any time within said zone.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is: o

1. The method of discharging the size from a sized fabric which consists in repeatedly completely revolving in one direction about its own substantially horizontal axis a rotary fabric-advancing element arranged in a state of but partial submersion in a size-discharge bath, meanwhile progressively delivering the fabric against and into adhering relation to the exposed portion of the perimeter of said element while such portion still remains wetted by'the liquid of the bath and thereupon maintaining the ,fabric substantially uninterruptedly in such relation until it enters the bath, and meanwhile progressively diverting the fabric from the perimeter of said ele ment at a position under the surface of the bath 1? 2..Ihe method of discharging the size from a sized fabric which consists in repeatedly completely revolving in one direction about its own substantially horizontal axis a rotary fabric-ad vancing element arranged in a state of but partial submersion to a size-discharge bath, 'meanwhile progressively delivering the fabric against and into adhering relation to the exposed portion of the perimeter of said element while such por-- tion still remains wetted by the liquid of the bath and thereupon maintaining the fabric substantially uninterruptedly in such relation until it enters the bath, and meanwhiledirecting a liquid current between the fabric and the perimeter of said element and thereby diverting the fabric from such perimeter.

3. The method of discharging the size from a sized fabric which consists in repeatedly completely revolving in one direction about its own substantially horizontal axis a rotary fabric-advancing element arranged in a state of but partial submersion in a size-discharge bath, meanwhile progressively delivering the fabric against and into adhering relation to the exposed portion of the perimeter of said element while such portion still remains wetted by the liquid of the bath and thereupon maintaining'the fabric substantially uninterruptedly in such relation until it enters the bath, and diverting the fabric from ments arranged with their axes substantially horizontal and one of which is partially submerged in and the other extends above the surface of the bath, means coupling said elements together for conjoint rotation, means coactive with said elements to hold the sized fabric to be treated, when trained under the first and over the second element, in flat state and in direct contact with the peripheries of both elements, and means to deliver heated size-discharge liquid onto the portion of the fabric extending over the second element, whereby to eflfect discharge of 80' size from. the fabric when said elements are so rotated that the first element advances the fabric to the second element and meanwhile opp fis shrinkage oi'.the fabric. i

GEORGE w. LANE. 

